New Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock gets it

There has been buzz surrounding Drew Lock and his future with the Denver Broncos, but one thing to take to the bank is he gets it.

Widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft, Drew Lock has dealt with plenty of adversity with University of Missouri. The Missouri Tigers football were dealt with allegations under Gary Pinkel.

Lock could have considered transferring, but he stuck with the program through it all and became a three-year captain. The comparisons to former Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler seems off-base for one reason personality. Being a three-year captain is simply earning the respect from your teammates from day one.

The first step for Drew Lock entering the Denver Broncos facilities at Dove Valley, it is exactly that. From day one, he wants to impress his new teammates from the start.

"“I think I’m just going to take it day by day here. I’m going to try to be the best teammate possible because I know if there’s one thing to help win over a team and win over a locker room, it’s come in and just be a good teammate. Be around the guys and show them who I really am. If I do that, then I think I’ll gain the respect and the trust of everybody in that locker room. Right now, that’s my No. 1 goal.” -Drew Lock (via Denver Broncos PR)"

Some might think he is just going through the motions and saying the right things. He clearly understands that it is back to square one and is perfectly content with being the backup to Joe Flacco. The former Ravens quarterback is expected to be the starter until proven otherwise. On the inside and outside, Lock has the commitment to be the future project in Colorado as the next great quarterback.

Entry level maturation is sometimes hard to find. Either you have it or you do not. Lock’s performance with the media dating back to the Senior Bowl speaks volumes about the leader Denver is getting under Flacco. While John Elway made the bold statement about Flacco entering his prime, it is still impressive to show faith in a young apprentice stating him as a possible future. Elway has had his criticism with many people in Broncos Country. It seems now is a great time to refresh people that Paxton Lynch is still his lone first-round quarterback.

The seventh round quarterback Trevor Siemian was never considered to have a future, but due to Brock Osweiler making the best decision to head to Houston it flipped script back to Siemian. In hindsight, Elway made it easy as possible for Lynch to win the starting position with the addition of Mark Sanchez. Never came to fruition. A harsh reality, but Lynch never had it. This is why there’s a stark difference in the words of Lock’s and Lynch’s.

Lynch said the right thing about being a starter, but words are meaningless if there is no action behind it. Ever since his Senior Bowl or before, Lock has wanted to start by becoming a better teammate by winning over a locker room.

This screams an “it” factor and we have not talked about the on-field aspect either. We mentioned above that Lock was well regarded as one of the best throwers of the draft. Placing him the right situation will only reinforce Lock to refine his craft and win over his new teammates. Lock can also establish the rapport with the teammates rather quickly.

There are already former players he ran with on the team. Denver Broncos starting center Connor McGovern was on the Missouri Tigers when Lock was on the roster. Dalton Risner picked just ahead of Lock, was on the same team with the 42nd pick during the Senior Bowl. That’s a great first step in the right direction.

Another quick relationship starter is his swagger. In some ways, there are similarities between Lock and Baker Mayfield. There’s a tremendous blend of humility and confidence with Lock. As we talked earlier about Lock’s willingness to become a leader first winning over the locker room.

This blend will serve him well. Denver has needed a vocal leader at the quarterback position that matches the defense’s swagger. When the chips are down, the offense needs the strongest voice to show command. Lock appears to have this in spades. Meshed with Emmanuel Sanders and Phillip Lindsay that’s a solid vocal trio.

Lock has all the talent in the world to be an elite level quarterback. One of the reasons Jordan Ta’amu intrigued me is throwing from differing arm angles. Lock does this and is better at this area. If given an appropriate pocket to set his Lock can be deadly accurate when the feet are planted.

The golden arm is the biggest draw to Lock and draft stock. In baseball, if a pitcher is gassing 95-100 MPH they will catch the eyes of scouts. Same goes for Lock. He has a “Winter Soldier” arm strong enough to fit a bullet into any window. NFL scouts love of strong talented arm by a quarterback. It is also about the right situation.

The inconsistencies with footwork with take time, but this is why the perfect situation is to sit under Flacco and hone the craft. Take every ounce of advice from the Super Bowl winning quarterback and offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello. It is understandable why this was a likely team during the draft process, right?

"“The ending definitely turned out the way I wanted. This is a spot that I was looking at in this whole process. Obviously, we don’t get to pick, they have to pick us, and this is one of the spots I was really hoping to end up at regardless of what pick it was. Looking back at it, obviously you’d like to get picked a little earlier, but I’m here. We got Dalton because of it, we got Noah because of it, and if that’s the way it was supposed to be, then so be it. I’m a Bronco now and I couldn’t be more excited to be here,” -Drew Lock (via Denver Broncos PR)"

The future is locked with Drew as its starting quarterback of the future and he understands where to begin. However, like Lynch, words are meaningless if there is no action behind it.